Help! I need grooming ideas!

[Ann Kendig]

I have finally decided to break down and get Sheba & Duke's hair cut, professionally.  I have really struggled with this as I LOVE the way they look. Another reason why I hesitate cutting Sheba's hair is that she will be so much lighter because the groomer will be cutting off her black tips and the fur below the tips is much lighter.  : (   It is just so darn hot for them and we want to take them swimming without worrying about the mats.  

I love their beards and the length of the fur on their faces/head/ears.  Would a puppy cut look better?  Will they look like a bobble-head if their head is untouched but their body is shaved?  Would it be better to shave or just a scissor cut???  Would you get them groomed or just leave them the way they are?  Decisions, decisions, decisions!

Sheba and Duke don't mat much on a daily basis so I don't have to spend much time grooming them.  When Duke swims his fur doesn't mat to badly.  When Sheba swims it's a whole other story!  When we were in Florida in December she was going through her coat change.  What a mess!!!  She was a matted mess from the coat change AND swimming.  I spent hours cutting out mats and brushing her.  A few weeks ago I took the dogs to NJ for a romp.  Sheba did a lot of swimming and got extremely matted.  Again I spent hours brushing her out.  I am amazed that she has any fur left!  I got a regular sized Walmart bag full of fur.  

I welcome any ideas.  Please feel free to post a picture of your doodle showing their summer cut or any links you know of that show doodle haircuts as I would love to have a photo to show the groomer. Thank You!

This photo was taken after our trip to Florida.  (I also spent hours while we were in Florida de-matting her.)

 

This last picture is a dog we saw at Bow Wow Beach when we visited with Joanne, Spud & Starlit.  I don't think I'll do a cut like this but it was kinda cute.  (I cloned out the poo!)

[Laura, Ruby & Sam]

Hi Adrianne, Thanks for that advice, I am going to do that. Next time we are trying a new groomer, but it's hard with the doodle cut because it seems like everyone likes it a bit different and there's not one true standard cut-- or is there?? But I'm on it with the photos!

[Ann Kendig]

Here's a picture of Sheba and Duke after playing at the dog park. Duke looks like he's going to pass out!

[Lucy & AnnaBelle's Mom]

I just order what is called a "cool vest" for Lucy from Ruff Wear! I'm hoping that is going to help keep her cooler. The heat doesn't seem to both Sophie as much.

[Christina and Cooper plus Benny]

Oh good, you will love the swamp cooler!!!! Keep us posted on how Lucy likes it!

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am a really bad doodle mama. I've been so busy photographing flowers that I hardly have taking doodle pictures lately. But then the flowers stand still. I do all my own grooming and I only scissor cut. I was delighted after taking inches off Calla to find out she had a waist! I'll try to get a picture tomorrow. I've just redone her face to show off her eyes. I cut the hair on the bridge of her nose shorter and I'm growing the sides of her muzzle to broaden it a little. I don't like beards so they go. I love doing the grooming myself because you can experiment. You can go back and even out etc. And it's not really upsetting to them. I often do parts of Luca when he's lying on my bed. I did Calla on the grooming table for the major trim but lifting her up there is a bit much. For small face trimming I just grab her and do a quick snip. I keep Luca shortish all the time since he mats and I'd rather cut than comb. With Calla I'll probably go a bit longer as she will mat less now that her puppy coat change is done, I hope. Here's part of Luca among the tradescantia.

And in motion:

[Laura, Ruby & Sam]

This is exactly how I want to keep Ruby! So cute!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks.

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Ann...Sheba and Duke really do have long hair!!! The good thing about cutting them is that it will always grow back. If you don't like how they look remember that they will grow back to how they look right now. That said, the length you chose is really a personal preference. The life style that we have with Gracie Doodle means that we keep her short. I have let her go to maybe a bit over 2" and she gets a very heavy, fat and old look. With the kind of hair she has and her bodily characteristics which lean towards a Poodle physique, she looks best under 2". I use the clippers with a comb on her body and have never even come close to giving her any kind of razor burn or irritation. I use the clippers/scissors on her legs and scissor cut her feet to look big and round. I have never cut her beautiful tail. At the attachment the Poodle type hair starts growing down and I will cut that part back blending it in. Otherwise it gets to look like a lamp shade over her tail! I use the clippers under her ears, neck and chin but the top of her head and her face are scissor cut. As far as the beard...you mentioned you liked their beard. I have left Gracie's a little long and my DH usually will ask me to trim it down. Gracie has a very sweet girl face so we feel that a beard does not become her. Also, if she gets too heavy on the sides of her head she looks more masculine. I try to keep her face fluffy so I use thinning shears. All of the various techniques I use have come from DK members. I take what they say and apply a combination of what they say. Here are some of the pictures you requested of Gracie Doodle. These are various haircuts. You can see that sometimes her face is longer and fuller than other times. Depends on the time of year and my mood!! Hope these help you. I just did her face today and I really like it. I didn't get a chance to photograph it because she has had her head in a bucket of water playing ever since. It takes forever to dry out and is still wet!!

If you are really in doubt then start slowly and take them down to 2 or 3 ". After you get used to that then you will probably want to take them down more. Just don't let anyone shave their snouts and make sure they do not define the "poofer" on the top of their head and make it look separate from the ears. They should all blend in with longer hair in a gentle roundness. (Make sure the groomer understands that your babies are NOT Poodles!! So many come back looking like Poodles.) Some people prefer to leave the ear ends shaggy and some rounded. Gracie's look better rounded because she doesn't have enough curl in them to be shaggy. Also, don't let them shave the bridge of the nose between the eyes. And keep the legs longer than the body and round the feet but don't let the "toe cleavage" show!!! ha ha

Good luck and post pictures!!

[Adrianne Matzkin]

Will you share a picture of a wet doodle? I would love to see how curly Gracie Doodle is. I am trying to figure out what Charli would like if I cut her with a 3/8" comb instead of the 5/8".

[Nancie & Gracie Doodle]

Ann...after looking at the photos that F.Parker just posted of Luca's haircut, I think that style is what you want for Sheba and Duke. All three look like they have coarser hair than Gracie Doodle with a bit more large wave. Gracie's hair is very fine and her hair over her eyes won't do what Luca's does. I absolutely love that look. Also, his Poofer stands up nicer than Gracie's. She always looks like she is having a bad hair day. The minute it gets a little heavy or wet, it parts right down the middle. I just wish she had a bit more body in her hair. Luca has the perfect face cut to take to the groomer. You can keep the beard since that is what you like. Another face that is adorable and looks a lot like Luca is Clancy of Nancy, Ned and Clancy. Really though, how the cut turns out all comes down to the texture, coarseness, thickness and curl of their individual coats!

I just happen to have a photo or two of Clancy...Clancy is on the left and Gracie on the right!

[F, Calla & Luca]

Thanks for your nice comments about Luca. He actually has the finest hair imaginable which is why it mats I think. But he does have more wave in some places than Gracie I think. Her face hair looks straighter too. Calla has much heftier hair than Luca and her face hair is really straight. I will get some pictures of her. I think it's a matter of getting used to what works for your doodle and that is something you learn with time. Also, of course, it's all a matter of personal preference.

[Sara Schultz]

Ann -
I relate to being hesitant about the trimming, not only for fear of losing the doodle look, but also because of the color change. My Lucy is a gorgeous "golden retriever" gold on her back and ears, but she is MUCH lighter underneath. I am sad that when she is cut short next week, she will be practically white. Not that white is bad, but I just love what she looks like now and wish she wouldn't change. But after picking out burrs for the last month and seeing the first hints of matting starting, and having her lie down mid-walk b/c she's so hot, I know she needs a summer cut. Sigh.

Let's keep posting photos of all these summer "do"s. :)
~Sara